No. 4.] IREIGATION. 415 



water should be applied freely just before the picking season 

 begins, and then the mulch be applied. Wooden troughs 

 may be used for distributing the water. These are made 

 of rough boards, 10 and 12 inches wide, nailed together 

 V-shaped, and arc supported on stakes across the upper 

 ends of the rows in such a way as to give a slight fall across, 

 the field. By means of small auger holes the water can be 

 made to flow out between the rows. With small strips of 

 tin, gates are made over these holes so that the amount 

 of flow can be regulated. 



If the water supply is limited, iron pipes may advan- 

 tageously be used in distributing the water to the points 

 where needed. The water may either be allowed to flow 

 from these over the surface or be applied by sprinkling. 

 Unless the fall is very great (100 feet or more), these pipes 

 should be at least 2 inches in diameter. Condemned fire 

 hose 2 to 3 inches in diameter can be bought in most of our 

 large cities, and if the fall from the reservoir or tank is 50 

 feet or more, a heavy spray can be obtained by their use. 

 A flow of 25 to 40 gallons per minute seems to be necessary 

 in using iron pipes and hose, in order to apply the water as 

 rapidly as is desirable for strawberries. 



In case a fall of 200 to 300 feet can be obtained, and the 

 water can be conducted in pipes, it may be applied by 

 means of lines of perforated pipes laid on wires over the 

 fields ; or, if the pipe is laid beneath the ground, a series 

 of small nozzles may be placed at intervals along the lines 

 of pipe, and the water be applied in the form of a spray. 



